Drop Shotting for Walleye

[Jim Green]

I was wondering if anyone has done much dropshotting for Walleye and what was your success and feel for the technique? Any special pattern for success? I'm new to the forum and have't seen and comments about dropshotting for Walleye. JJ :9

[Tom]

don,t know that anybody has done any dropshotting for eyes, most people i know are just gettin into it for bass, i,m courios also if any bodys D.S. for eyes or even if you think it will work.




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[bullfroglabat]

I saw a variation on drop-shotting on the Bill Dance show yesterday and it looked perfect for walleye. Lindy has a new product called the Boomerang. It is a Thick rubber band type thing that goes between the sinker and the lure and you kind of yo yo the lure up and down between them while the sinker is on the bottom--It had great action and I can't believe it wouldn't work vertically for jiggin' walleyes!!
The Bullfrog

[Backwater Eddy]

Drop shotting is a great tool on pre-spawn walleye on rivers.

River systems and their associated tributaries that have a great abundance of fallen timber and flooded brush will often host a strong walleye population. First schools of pre-spawn male’s then hungry females search the available cover in warmer waters for forage.

When the drop shotting really shines is just after that nasty spring cold front spanks’ a good pre-spawn bite and the fish dig in tight to cover.

The cold snaps tend to make the walleye dig in like a tick. Although if you dangle a chubby vulnerable fathead minnow or crawler in their face they will move just far enough to slurp it up, but not much farther.

I use a 6’6” to 8’ med. fast action spinning rod spooled up with #14 FireLine to methodically dip the drop shot into likely holding areas behind structure. A cross between noodleing and dropshoting is the best way to describe the method.

Tie the rig up short with just enough of a loop to add a #6 Tru-Turn hook and 6-8” of drop to crimp on split shot below a bass style bullet weight. The bullet weight will help to eliminate snags on the upsweep of the bait after dipping into nasty brush areas where the walleye are laying tight. You can add a pair of glass beads above the shot and between the bullet weight. This will produce a bit of noise as you jig, or pound, the bait slightly in the cover. The clicking of the lead on the glass beads can help draw in the fish to tack a pock at the bait. A lot like pounding bait on a jig under the ice for fussy perch.

On light cover areas a slip float will work with the same drop rig setup. Flip and twitch, flip and twitch, but don’t sit on a spot very long.

I have had very good luck with this system on days when you couldn’t buy a fish on any other presentation.

Give it a shot and see.


Backwater Eddy ~ ~><sUMo> ~ ><>

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[Tom in TN.]

Backwater that sounds close to the rigging that we use for crappie, bream, and bass on local TN rivers in the spring. We use less live bait rigs and more plastics though because of the shad.

We find sauger up on the brush, not many walleyed pike in our local rivers just speckled sauger. I could see how it would work well on northern rivers with more walleye in them.

[eyecatcher_1]

I actually tried drop shotting last year, at the time I didn't even know that's what it was called,just wanted to try something new! It worked very well for walleyes. I actually used a Berkley Powerbait Nightcrawler and livebait, both worked well. I guess the biggest reason I started to drop shot is because the bigger fish were wanting a vertical presentation and were holding a couple feet off the bottom. I tried a slip bobber and jigging, neither worked so i sat the bait right in front of their noses and twitched it. Like I said, it worked very well. Also as mentioned in a previous post, if you are in a snaggy bottom, you can virtually elimate lost rigs since the splitshot just slips off if caught up.

[Duane_MI]

Depending on the state you are from, drop shotting is illegal. I know it is in Michigan for sure. You may want to check regulations for your state.

[eyecatcher_1]

what in the world would be illegal about drop shotting? let me know.

Really it is not that much different than using a crappie rig

[Eyecrosser]

If I'm off base here, then please excuse my ignorance, but isn't drop-shotting basically a trolling method? I thought it was just putting a split shot a few feet above a plain hook.

[crash]

If the regs state that having a hook placed infront of a wieght is illegal, even though its meant to stop salmon snagging, then the local authorities will look upon your dropshot rig as illegal. You have to set it up with a dropper line, I forget how long makes it legal. Check bassmaster back issues, they covered it.

Sad but true. Michigan is one..any others??

If I wasn't here, I'd be fishn.

[crash]

eyecrosser,

Other way around, in dropshotting you place the hook in front of the wieght, allowing you to "hang" your bait in the strike zone forever. Because of the ol "yarn and treble trick" salmon snaggers use, Some states have outlawed placing a hook infront of a weight.

If I wasn't here, I'd be fishn.

['eye spy]

Had good success with drop shotting last year with slow drifting
and dead sticking. Dead Sticking worked great with BIG bait.

[Stump]

The boomerang set up you are refering to is made by Renosky.It is basicaly a variation of the old trick of using a piece of powerlining band between the hook and the weight.You use a typically larger weight then you normally would and enough band to position your bait in the strike zone.Then you jig the line in a way as to make the bait shoot up and down in a darting motion.This is very efective in lockjaw situations when the fish are not biting to eat but in an instinctive reaction hitting it because it resembles an injured minnow.
Tight lines!
Stump

[lindy rig]

Been using the drop shot method, but a little different. Replace the the split shot with a Fire Ball....AWESOME! I guess you can call it a "modified" Dubuque Rig.